Please Respect the Hardcore Gamer [Infinite]

No Falling in Love with Anime Characters, Unless Your Wife Is Made of Paper or Iron

This year marks the twenty-second year of Wen Songyan's single life.

His computer holds hundreds of discounted impulse buys: low-rated games he gritted his teeth and ground his way through. Half his phone's storage is taken up by RPGs. Anyway, even if he runs two games at once to finish his daily tasks, his friends in single-player games never get mad at him for it.

Wen Songyan is quite satisfied with this life.

^

When a full-dive system logged into the world and the boundaries between fantasy and reality crumbled, people sought a way to survive by doing the unthinkable: the System pulled data and selected 887 lucky "Saviors."

No. 886 was a top-tier planner behind three games with hundreds of millions of monthly active users, who could make tens of millions of players cry through sheer skill.

No. 214 was a top player with both skill and a willingness to spend, a legend in the card-game world.

No. 018 was even more impressive: last year's gold-medal winner in an esports tournament, now a retired player who dominated the livestreaming platform.

System: Sorry, sweetheart, we miscounted one. Here, you're number 888!~

With a resounding crash, a strikingly handsome young man was unceremoniously thrown into the crowd.

Big shot: Mr. "888," you're of Nordic descent. Are you fluent in eight languages?

Wen Songyan: Being able to say hello in Japanese is about the limit.

Big shot: Then your learning ability is rated SSS+, but you have no attack power at all. Is there some deeper meaning to that?

Wen Songyan: I'm just afraid of dying. Learning changes your fate.

Big shot: So you're actually a legend from some game, right?

Wen Songyan gave an awkward laugh. "Actually, I'm just... an ordinary grinding fanatic."

Once the System finished retrieving the data, golden labels appeared beside everyone.

The only thing hanging on Wen Songyan was a lonely white bonus: [Grinding King]

The big shots: ...Even 887 got a gold label. Looks like 888 really is just a spare.

Wen Songyan blended in among the big shots, acting the fool. Other than being easy on the eyes, he had nothing going for him. Everyone agreed to give up on the kid, certain he wouldn't last the week.

Three days later, Wen Songyan made the whole world drop its jaw with his abilities... and open its eyes in amazement!

A puzzle that requires 532 guaranteed attempts?

While everyone else was sweating buckets, Wen Songyan was quietly calculating n possible routes.

Have to watch a ball's trajectory for three hours without letting up?

Wen Songyan took a day and easily saved the entire team.

An NPC who can be romanced just by sending gifts in the dungeon every day for a year?

Wen Songyan, who once checked in every day for twelve years just to send an NPC flowers, smiled faintly.

System: Grinding King, please respect the game, or we will forcibly raise the difficulty!!!

The big shots: ...We know nothing of the Grinding King's terror.

Wen Songyan: Sir, you don't have to follow me all the time.

The blonde, blue-eyed youth sighed softly, smiling as he grew into a young man.

His sideburns turned raven-black. Feng Liao removed his gold-rimmed glasses and wiped them elegantly. His body dissolved into a scattering of stars, leaving behind only a bunch of wildflowers beaded with morning dew.

A humble measure of protection and love, offered to the believer who watched over me for twelve years.

^

What can one cycle of reincarnation accomplish?

Enough to turn a little monster from a beginner's village into a Demon King.

Enough for a young priest with a staff to cross the years and come to his side without fear.

[Bonus Scene]

"Just mention Mr. Wen's name and our shop will give you a one-percent discount!~"

"Feng Liao, am I only worth a one-percent discount?"

A miserly NPC, a mysterious black-market merchant who wanders by × a grinding-crazed gamer, a supposedly slow-to-catch-on amnesiac

1v1, HE, infinite flow, mild horror

Also known as:

"Boss, Can I Get My Boyfriend for 66% Off as an Item?"

"I've Been Grinding Affection with an NPC for Twelve Years, and He Thinks I'm Trying to Scam Him"

"My Paper Boyhood Sweetheart Wife Is Male"

The ultra-condensed version: traveling merchant × wage slave (dungeon only)

Reader advisory:

1. There is an ensemble cast, and the romance is more prominent than in most plot-driven stories.

2. The male lead really does make money by having people come after him. He loves wearing secret identities, but never splits into separate bodies.

3. Both leads are big shots. The protagonist is a mixed-race savant with hyperthymesia, not of Nordic descent. Explaining more would involve spoilers, so just remember this guy isn't stupid.

4. The original characters and events in this story are entirely fictional.

5. Both leads are adults and know how to exercise restraint while gaming. Neither of them neglects their health by playing games.

The title may change at any time.

This version was written on January 1, 2023, as a little keepsake.

Theme: Hard work creates miracles; diligence changes lives.